


Love at First Click

by LibbyWeasley



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No SHIELD (Marvel), F/M, Online Dating, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26793490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibbyWeasley/pseuds/LibbyWeasley
Summary: Bobbi and Hunter's career ambitions proved to be too much for their marriage, but when the meet again thanks to on online dating site created by Fitz and Daisy they might get a second chance.
Relationships: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse
Comments: 51
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gort](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gort/gifts).



> Happy, happy birthday Gort!! Hope you have a wonderful day!
> 
> Once again I was thinking I could just get a one-shot together and get it posted, but real life has really slowed me down. So this is going to be 4 chapters instead. This fic was inspired by a buzzfeed article on funny marriage tweets -- “My ex husband popped up on a dating app as a potential match. Too bad you can’t leave reviews on other people’s profiles.” And of course I thought HB AU :)
> 
> Thanks to @agentofship for helping me figure this all out and to @bobbimorseisbisexual for making me write it! <3

Hunter sat down on the couch, a cold beer in his hand and looked forward to a long weekend of relaxation. That pleasant image lasted all of about 30 seconds.

“Hunter, you home?”

Fitz. His next door neighbor and best friend, despite the fact that he had horrible taste in football clubs.

“Door’s open,” he yelled back, not ready to pull himself from the couch cushions. 

Fitz came into view, tablet grasped in his hand. “You got another one of those beers?”

“Yeah. In the fridge.” 

He set his tablet down on the coffee table beside Hunter’s feet and grabbed a beer before sitting down beside Hunter.

“I have good news.”

“Yeah?” Hunter laid his head back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. “Did you get that funding for your app?”

“What?” Fitz paused for a second and Hunter cracked one eye open. “No, not yet. It’s about your profile. You got a match.”

“Oh, great.” He went back to clearing the details of his latest case from his mind. 

“Hunter!”

“What?”

“It’s a 99% match. That has never happened before. Daisy and I were so surprised we even went back and double checked the algorithm to make sure there wasn’t a bug in the code or anything. But it’s real.”

“Okay,” he drew out the word, hoping Fitz would take the hint that he wasn’t all that interested. He’d only created a profile in the first place because Fitz had practically begged him when he’d first started the dating site. 

“It’s a true love match.” Fitz pushed at his foot. “This is a big deal.”

“I hate to break it to you, mate, but I lied when I answered those questions and she probably did too.”

“That’s the beauty of it! Daisy already convinced me that everyone lies on the internet, so your answers to the questions are basically irrelevant. Our algorithm looks at other things. Other proprietary things.”

Hunter sat up as he noticed the change in Fitz’s tone, but all he saw when he opened his eyes was the tablet in front of his face showing the profile he had created for Fitz and Daisy’s site, Love at First Click.

Sure enough there was a profile highlighted with a 99% match. 

“I don’t think that’s how you spell Katelin.”

“Sure it is. There’s lots of ways you can spell it.”

Katelin. Katelin Frayer. He couldn’t even imagine what she looked like and imagining was all he could do since the picture she’d uploaded didn’t even show her face. All he could be sure of was that she had long legs and long blonde hair. Not even his type. He took another drink of his beer. 

“I’m not really interested. The last time I was in a relationship, she turned out to be a demonic hell-beast and I’m not eager to repeat that mistake.”

Bobbi had hurt him. He could admit that. But what made it worse was that he knew it wasn’t entirely her fault. There were things he could have done differently. He’d wanted to trust her. He’d wanted her to stay. But he didn’t want to always be second to her job. It had felt like the right choice at the time.

“Well, yeah, but you’d be able to give us a testimonial. Burned by an ex, but found love again by Love at First Click.” Fitz moved his hand dramatically, sweeping it slowly in the shape of a rainbow.

“Did Daisy put you up to this?”

“Of course. She doesn’t want you to be the poor, divorced guy forever.”

Hunter snorted.

“None of us do. It must be hard since we’ve all started dating again.”

“Not really.” Fitz looked at him skeptically. It was odd. Almost overnight he’d gone from the only one of the four of them to be in a relationship to being divorced and having Fitz and Mack finally, after what felt like an absolute eternity, confess their feelings to the women they’d been in love with forever, and Daisy falling hard for Lincoln. “I mean it. I like having my own space. My own place to unwind after a busy week. I still see you and Mack every day, and Daisy almost as often since she’s always over at your place.”

“Yeah. I know. But it isn’t the same --”

“As much as I appreciate your concern, I’m not interested.”

* * *

Bobbi settled in at the pub table wondering what she was doing here. Well, she knew what she was doing here. Jemma had offered a whole list of very convincing arguments for why it was time for her to start dating again and eventually she’d just caved. But it was just one night. One date. A few hours. And she’d be back home. Alone. 

The apartment was much quieter without Hunter in it. Which was mostly a good thing. But sometimes...sometimes she missed him. 

But for now she’d just focus on getting through this date with Dane Blackwell. He sounded like a complete tool. And after a long day with patients she wasn’t really up for playing getting to know you with someone she’d never see again. She didn’t even know what he looked like since his picture had been so grainy. It didn’t seem like he was really looking for love. Which was fine because she wasn’t either. 

Bobbi was pulled from her thoughts by a voice behind her. A very familiar voice. 

“I think I’m your date.” She turned in her chair to meet his eye. “Oh, bloody hell. What are you doing here?”

“I’m supposed to meet Dane Blackwell. You wouldn’t know him, would you?”

“That’s me. And you’re Katelin Frayer?”

“Obviously. That’s the name I use online. Otherwise too many patients end up tracking me down. What’s your excuse, _Dane Blackwell_?”

“I only did it for Fitz.”

“What’s Fitz got to do with it?”

“He made me sign up. And I didn’t want to use my real name because I didn’t want any of my clients to see it. It’s his site.”

“Is it? Good for him.” She studied him for a few more minutes. “Since you’re here I guess you can sit down.”

“Oh, can I, your highness?”

“Hunter...I’m not fighting with you. If you want to stay, you can stay.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We might as well have a drink.”

He moved carefully to the other side of the pub table. 

“I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“And what is it that I’m doing wrong now? I thought you just invited me to stay.”

“I did. And I just wish you didn’t always look at me so suspiciously. I understand why you don’t trust me --”

“No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop wanting to.”

Bobbi pressed her lips together, never quite sure what to say when he said something so disarmingly honest. He always surprised her.

Eventually she settled on, “You look good.” 

And he did. His face was so familiar -- his eyes, his lips, the stubble on his jaw. His suit fit him just right, in that way that made her want to undress him. But they didn’t do that anymore.

“You do, too.”

“Thank you.” At least he appreciated the effort she’d made to dress up for this “date.” And he did appreciate it. She recognized that look. The way his eyes moved over her. It was familiar. Intimate. His eyes looked dark in the dim light and she could imagine they were dark with desire. At least with Hunter she knew exactly what she was in for. He never lied to her. 

Except for now. About his name. And the rest of his profile.

“How have you been?” She knew it was just a question people asked, but when it came from Hunter it was always so much better. She’d spent some of her happiest days coming home to him after a long day. He’d always listened, or at least made her forget she’d even wanted to talk.

“Good. Busy, actually.”

Hunter made a sound that she couldn’t quite identify. “When haven’t you been busy?”

She had a retort on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t like his job had been any more forgiving than hers. He’d put in long hours on his way to partner and _she’d_ never thought the time they’d spent together hadn’t been enough. 

But that was all behind them now. The approaching server halted all conversation anyway as they ordered drinks and a few appetizers to share. 

“What are you working on now?” Hunter asked once their drinks had arrived. His beer had obviously put him back into a better mood. 

“Something groundbreaking, I hope.” She paused, but he actually seemed to be interested. “Cancer treatment for a pediatric patient. It seems to be going well. I can’t talk about the details, obviously —“

“Obviously—“ Hunter’s grin told her he understood even if his tone suggested otherwise. She’d gotten really good at reading him over the years. 

“But I’m hopeful she’ll make it. The original prognosis wasn’t good. We’ve already given her months longer than we’d hoped.”

“That’s really great, Bob. I’m happy for you.”

The ease with which he slipped into his old nickname for her surprised her. Though she guessed it shouldn’t have. They were always good at being together. 

“And what about you? Enjoying your corner office?” She took a sip of her wine, eager to turn the attention back on him.

“Eh...it’s not exactly as I’d imagined it.”

“It’s not all billable hours and legal loopholes?”

“Bob --”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It isn’t my problem anymore.”

“Actually...you were right.” He screwed up his face like the words hurt him to say. “It’s nothing but billable hours. I work my arse off all week and then bring work home on the weekend. It’s a good thing we split because you’d never see me anymore anyway.”

“I’m sure I could find a way to tempt you away from your work.” She’d only meant to tease him, but as she watched him lick his lips and swallow she hoped she wasn’t just teasing herself.

“Yeah.”

For a second she thought he was going to say more, but then their server was back, depositing plates on the table and the smell of the food reminded her she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

By the time they finished eating it was like the months they’d spent apart had never happened. With a slight buzz from the alcohol and a warm, fuzzy feeling from being with Hunter again she leaned against him as they walked onto the sidewalk. It was like everything that had happened just melted away.

Except it had happened. They were different people than they had been. Stronger people now that they didn’t have each other to lean on. But they couldn’t go back. She turned to say goodnight to Hunter before she ended up doing something they’d both regret, and found that his face was impossibly close. 

“Hunter.” It was a warning. But for a heartbeat she thought he might not heed it. She wanted him to ignore her words, just this once. His gaze dropped to her lips and she sucked in a breath. He was the only one who’d ever made her forget all logic and reason, who made her want to make bad choices and damn the consequences.

But then he stepped back and the moment passed. Something that felt a lot a lot like disappointment filled her.

“Well, goodnight Bob.”

“Goodnight, Hunter. It was really great to catch up.”

“Yeah. We should...do it again sometime.”

That was a lie. She knew it before he’d said the words. She didn’t need to wait until he started walking in the opposite direction, like he’d left their old life behind, to know that she wouldn’t be hearing from him again anytime soon.

It was probably for the best though. They’d made that mistake once and hopefully they were smart enough not to fall into the same trap again.

Then she turned to head back to her dark, empty apartment, knowing it wouldn’t be the refuge it would have been even a few hours ago. Because now the emptiness had a face to go along with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their date, Hunter and Bobbi try to figure out where they fit into each other's lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not mean to be so slow with this update! Oops.
> 
> Thanks to @agentofship for all of her help! <3

Bobbi pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before punching the bag yet again. Working out was her only outlet these days...and it normally worked. Today was just different. Exhaustion settled over her so she traded her gloves for a bottle of water and tried to decide on dinner as she cooled down. But no matter how tired she was it didn’t stop the nervous energy prickling at her. Or the memories of the day from replaying in her mind on an endless loop. 

Jemma and Lincoln had both tried to talk to her, but she hadn’t wanted to. She didn’t want the medical, scientific analysis of what had happened. She knew all of that. Their team was the best and that’s why they worked together so well, but what she wanted was something else. Someone who would understand that losing a patient was so much more personal than she let anyone know. Especially this patient. 

For every success and medical breakthrough they made, there were failures — times when her best wasn’t enough. And Jemma and Lincoln didn’t understand that. Or maybe they did and had their own coping mechanisms. But that didn’t help her now. 

There was a solution. Someone who had always helped her feel better — more grounded. But even if she wanted to call Hunter, after their _date_ things between them felt even more final than when she’d signed the divorce papers. She’d gotten a little bit of closure, but even more of a feeling that everything was wrong. But he’d walked away that night even when she could feel the tension between them. It was only fair that she let him go. 

Her phone buzzed. Mack. 

Mack: Come out with us tonight. You need a night out. It will cheer you up. 

Bobbi: Not tonight. Just finished at the gym. Maybe next time?

She pushed the phone back into her pocket as she walked home. Luckily it wasn’t far because the evening was much cooler than she’d thought and the sweat drying on her body was starting to feel uncomfortable. She was already home, ready to step into the shower, when her phone buzzed again. 

Mack: You know I respect your choices, but it’s pretty obvious that you haven’t come out with us since you and Hunter split. We aren’t just his friends. We’re your friends too. And we miss you. 

After the day she’d had, his words nearly did her in. She had been ignoring parts of her life — the parts that reminded her of Hunter and could bring her face to face with him again. But like everything else, she’d just been doing what had felt right. 

Bobbi: I know. And you’re right.

She didn’t get a response, so she sent one more message before putting her phone down. He was probably out having fun, like the rest of the world would be doing on a Friday night. 

Bobbi: Next time. I promise.

* * *

Hunter rubbed his eyes before loosening his tie and kicking his feet up on the desk. It was far too late on a Friday night for anyone to care about what he was up to in his office — other than the fact that he was still working. 

His _date_ with Bobbi lodged itself in his brain again. Anytime he wasn’t vigilant, there she was, even though it had been weeks since he’d seen her. She wasn’t exactly easy to forget. 

His phone buzzed. Again. He’d told Mack, and Fitz, and Jemma _and_ Daisy that he was busy working tonight, but they were relentless. He suspected he’d become their drinking game. 

He was ready to chuck his phone into the bin so he could focus and finally finish for the night when he saw the notification. It wasn’t a text, it was an email message from Love at First Click. 

And it was from Bobbi. Well, Katelin. But that was Bobbi. He clicked through to the message and logged into the website. Fitz and Daisy really needed to get funding for their app. That would make this so much easier. 

Katelin: I know it’s been a few weeks since our date, but you seemed like a nice guy and I need someone to talk to. 

That was an interesting opening. If she had gone right for the booty call he would have turned her down. Maybe. But he couldn’t deny that he’d been thinking about her since that night. 

Dane: What is it, love?

He hit send before he could question the wisdom of responding. It was definitely a mistake, but she’d started it, so whatever happened after this was her fault. 

Three dots appeared on the screen as he waited for a response. 

Katelin: Bad day at work. That patient I told you about...she didn’t make it. 

Dane: Oh, bloody hell. I’m sorry, Bob. 

Dane: Or am I supposed to call you Katelin?

She didn’t start typing right away and he worried he’d just made her day worse. 

Dane: What do you need? I can come over?

The image in his mind shifted from something very X-rated to the memory of nights spent holding her until she fell asleep. 

Katelin: No

Katelin: You don’t need to do that. I’m sure you’re busy. It’s Friday night. 

Dane: I’m a hotshot lawyer. I’m still at work. 

He knew she could interpret his words and would know he was both teasing her and frustrated with how his day was panning out. 

Katelin: I’ll let you get back to it then. 

Dane: You don’t have to. Not if you need to talk. 

Katelin: No, I’ll be fine. Probably just go to bed early. 

Katelin: Goodnight, Dane. 

He wanted to offer to stay with her. Or just go to her apartment. He still had a key. But she’d messaged him as Katelin when she just as easily could have texted him as herself. It wasn’t like he’d changed his number. 

Bobbi was Katelin, but still, it probably meant something. Something he wasn’t going to figure out staring at a computer screen. He started to type a response, but then saw she had already logged out.

* * *

Messaging Hunter had been impulsive, and probably stupid. But it had worked. She’d felt much less alone after talking to him -- just knowing he was there -- even if it was just through the screen. Picturing him at work on a Friday night, probably uncomfortable in his suit, had been so normal it was calming. But she was still surprised a few days later when she got a notification that she had a message from Dane.

Part of her wanted to log in right away and see what he had to say. There was something about the idea of flirting with Hunter without any of the risk of doing it as themselves. But she was at work.

“What’s wrong?” Jemma asked, giving her a probing look. “Bad news?”

Apparently that deep sigh had been out loud and not just in her head like she’d hoped.

“No. No, it’s nothing.” Which was unfortunately true.

But her answer didn’t seem to satisfy Jemma, which was a slightly uncomfortable position for her to be in. After years of being the one in a stable relationship and watching her friend pine, now Jemma thought she was the one in a position to give advice.

“You should come out with us on Friday. No excuses this time. You need a break. A chance to blow off some steam.”

“And you think the best place to do that is at a bar with my friends who are all happily in relationships?”

‘Maybe.” Jemma frowned. “You never said anything about your date. I’m assuming it didn’t go well.”

Bobbi laughed, the sound not quite humorous. “It was Hunter.”

“What?”

“My date. It was Hunter. Dane is Hunter.”

“Wow. That must have been awful.” Jemma said, more of a question than a statement. 

“Not really. It was...nice.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard you refer to Hunter as _nice_ since you two broke up.”

“Well, it would be nicer if I could leave a review on his profile. It was very misleading.”

Jemma laughed. 

“But it was nice.” Bobbi tried to decide how much she wanted to share with Jemma. She tended to want to push everyone towards love, like some sort of closet romantic. “Just being able to talk to him again was —“

“Nice?” Jemma’s smile was so wide Bobbi almost felt the need to tell her to forget all about whatever she was thinking. It wasn’t like she was getting back together with Hunter. They’d made that mistake before. But she also couldn’t deny that there had been something about that night.

“Yes. Yes it was.”

* * *

Bobbi resisted the urge to read Hunter’s — _Dane’s_ — message for the rest of the day. And she even made dinner and changed into sweats before pulling her laptop onto her lap and logging in. There was a fine line between overeager and uninterested. And that line was even finer when it was your ex-husband who knew all of your habits.

She clicked on the message, not sure what to expect even though she’d spent all day analyzing Hunter’s motivations. 

Dane: I’ve been thinking about you. Are you doing alright, love?

The words were so familiar, the endearment easy to hear in Hunter’s voice. So many times he’d whispered it in her ear. It was a natural reaction that a wave of emotion crashed over her in that moment. 

That was… Bobbi wasn’t even sure. It wasn’t exactly unexpected. Hunter was the sweetest man in the world. When he wasn’t being completely unreasonable and difficult. But it also wasn’t completely expected. 

They’d been keeping their distance since the divorce. She thought back to their last fight, the night they’d tried to divide up their kitchen appliances. Who knew that marriage meant acquiring so many small appliances? But somewhere between the toaster and the slow cooker it had devolved into one of the worst fights of their relationship — and she was certain neither one of them actually cared about any of those things. But once the job was done, they were over. 

And even though she’d won the toaster, she’d promptly ordered a new one. One that harbored no reminders of Saturday mornings in the kitchen where breakfast had been an afterthought to more pleasurable activities. 

Bobbi bit her lip, thinking about how to respond. _If_ she should respond. 

Katelin: I’m fine. Busy with work. You?

She hit send before she could over analyze the wisdom of her words, then watched the screen like something was going to happen. Considering Hunter had sent his message hours ago there was no reason to think he’d respond. 

He could be working. Or relaxing at home. Or on a date. Considering they had ended up on a date with each other, it wasn’t a leap of logic to think that he could be dating. Bobbi was uncomfortably uncertain about how she felt about that. 

Maybe she should read a book, or watch a movie. Maybe she should get a glass of wine and unwind. 

But then another message popped up. 

Dane: Thinking about quitting my job...moving somewhere where they have umbrella drinks and no winters. 

Bobbi rolled her eyes. 

Katelin: No you aren’t. You love your job. 

Katelin: Though somewhere tropical sounds pretty nice right now. 

She wondered if he was thinking about their honeymoon the same way she was. Long days spent on the beach with nothing to distract them. And nights with just the two of them, the ocean right outside their window. 

Dane: What was that place we went to? With the margaritas that knocked you on your arse?

She remembered the place. Worst hangover of her life. But she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. 

Katelin: No idea what you’re talking about. 

The smile that spread over her face at his response should have been a warning. She was only setting herself up for more heartbreak. But as the conversation pinged back and forth she was enjoying herself far too much to care.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katelin and Dane have been getting along really well. When Bobbi and Hunter see each other again, will it be the same?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last chapter! I really meant for this to be a fun, fluffy fic...and I think we're finally there :)
> 
> Thanks as always to @agentofship for making all of my words better. <3

Hunter’s life settled into something of a routine for the first time since he’d moved out of the apartment he’d shared with Bobbi. His days in the office were still long, but it was manageable knowing that most nights he could grab dinner and message Katelin. She always had something entertaining to say about his cases, and since things never got too personal, there was never that moment when she’d pull back into herself.

Tonight, he had pizza and beer, and his laptop balanced on the arm of the sofa. He’d started the conversation last night, so by their unwritten rules of engagement it was her turn to message him.

Almost like clockwork the three dots appeared by her name. He forced himself to take a bite and wait for her words to appear on his screen. 

Katelin: Ugh. Another long day. But at least I had time to go to the gym after work.

He could picture her now, hair still wet from the shower, muscles taut from an intense workout, and he could almost smell her shampoo. It felt like it had been a million years since they were together, but also like it could have been yesterday with how fresh everything was in his mind. 

Dane: I had another meeting with JG. He wants me to find a loophole for moving his business income back to the states without paying any taxes. 

Dane: I’m a lawyer, not a magician.

He waited for her response, certain that would have made her laugh. A real laugh, not the one she used to be polite or to put people at ease. But when she finally answered it wasn’t what he expected. 

Katelin: I’ve been spending a lot of time on my own lately and maybe that’s not the best thing for me. And I've been thinking about going out for a drink with a friend tomorrow night. 

Tomorrow night was Thursday, which meant that Jemma would be at Fitz’s, assuming that was the friend she meant. 

Dane: That’s a great idea. Time to get back out there. 

It was a strange sort of feeling. He was happy for her. Their divorce had been hard on both of them. But he also worried it meant that she was ready to let go of who they had been. It was possible that she didn’t feel the same way he did about their conversations.

But a bigger part of him hoped that their flirting meant that she wasn’t ready to move on either. 

Dane: I’m probably going to grab a drink with my best friend too. If I finish the brief for this case. 

Katelin: Maybe I’ll see you there. 

Dane: Yeah. That would be nice. 

He waited for a response, but there wasn’t one. Bobbi really would have made a great spy with the way she dropped in and out of his life without warning. 

Now he only hoped that if he did see her that Bobbi and Hunter got on as well as Katelin and Dane did.

* * *

Thursday afternoon turned into Thursday evening without Hunter even noticing. As he sent the last email of the day he saw the sun had already set while he’d been focused on his work. Shutting down his computer for the night, he shrugged his jacket back on and headed out the door. 

“Bloody hell,” he mumbled under his breath as he entered his apartment building. He’d _thought_ he’d have time to stop at home and clean up a bit, but maybe Bobbi would appreciate the slightly scruffy still-in-a-suit version of him. He didn’t want to miss her if she left early. And there was a decent chance she’d sighed a breath of relief when she realized he wasn’t there. 

At least this was a low-stakes way to see her again. Fitz always had snacks and beer, but mostly they just had a few drinks and tried to unwind a little bit before the weekend. But as he neared Fitz’s apartment, something felt off. For one, there was music spilling into the hallway. And then he heard the sound of off-key singing. 

Who let Daisy get wasted so early? Hopefully this wasn’t another breakup. The last one had been hard enough, but she was convinced Lincoln was “the one” and he didn’t want her moping around for months. It made him sad to see her like that. And no matter what anyone said that didn’t make him a softie. 

Without bothering to knock, Hunter let himself in and headed straight for the fridge. He needed a beer before dealing with whatever was unfolding in the apartment. But before he reached the fridge an excited Fitz was in front of him. 

“We did it! We got the funding for the app!”

Hunter pulled Fitz into a hug, which Fitz quickly reciprocated, holding his beer out to the side. “Never doubted you for a moment, mate. I’m so proud of you.”

After some energetic hugging that eventually involved Jemma and Daisy as well, Hunter finally found himself on his own again, apparently forgotten and only slightly more rumpled than when he’d entered the apartment. 

“Looks like you might need this.” Bobbi offered him a smile and a beer. 

“Bobbi! You’re a lifesaver.”

She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. 

“So,” he said, looking for something to fill the space between them. He didn’t want her to walk away thinking he wasn’t happy to see her. Ecstatic even. “Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes.” She tilted her head slightly, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Not as often as I used to.”

“Why not?”

“Well, there was this guy…”

He swallowed and then took a drink from his bottle, hoping she couldn’t tell how nervous he was. 

“Real wanker, I bet. I know the type.”

Her laugh was low and the familiarity of it all made his heart beat faster. For a second it was like it was just the two of them. It was now or never. 

“Bobbi, you wanna do some shots?”

Daisy’s words were a little slurred, but he supposed she’d earned it. 

“Maybe a few,” Bobbi agreed. “I can’t stay too late though. I have patients to see in the morning.”

“Don’t be a party pooper,” Daisy whined, but Jemma took her arm and led her over to Lincoln and a table full of shot glasses before she could say anything more. 

“C’mon, Hunter, let’s show them how it’s done.”

* * *

An hour, and entirely too many shots later, Hunter fumbled with the keys in his apartment door, Bobbi close behind. He hadn’t had so much alcohol in such a short time since grad school. It certainly hadn’t been how he’d spent his evenings when he’d been with Bobbi. 

“How are they still drinking?” Bobbi asked as she looked around his apartment. He’d forgotten she hadn’t seen it before and felt a temporary bit of embarrassment that he hadn’t bothered to make it more homey, the sofa, slightly battered coffee table, and TV the only furniture in the living space. But it wasn’t like it would ever really be home without Bobbi anyway. 

“Don’t know. You want some water?”

She nodded and he grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge before tossing one to her. 

“So,” she started and then didn’t seem to have anything else to say. 

“So, he agreed, taking a drink of water from the bottle. “About the date and, ah, everything…I had a really nice time.”

“We were pretending to be people we aren’t.” Her voice was a little sad and he felt it all the way through his heart. 

“I wasn’t.”

“What?”

“Pretending.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t pretending.”

“So where does that leave us? We got divorced for a reason.”

“That Bobbi and Hunter weren’t ready for marriage.”

Bobbi dropped onto his couch, making herself more comfortable as she took another drink of water. “So what are you proposing?”

“Not that, love.”

She laughed again and he settled on the couch beside her. “I missed you. Maybe we should try dating. See where it goes. Could be fun.”

“Fun was never our problem.” Hunter was suddenly very aware of her, not just from her words but from her expression. There were a few things they had always been good at, but he suspected he knew exactly what she meant. 

“Well, we just had drinks, you came home with me…” He tried to give her a smoldering look to see what her reaction would be. 

“Wanna make out on the couch?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

He leaned forward to kiss her. It was familiar, the feel of her lips under his, the warmth of her skin, the scent that was just Bobbi. It just felt right and he moved closer, pulling her against him.

After he did it he realized that it could have been a miscalculation. He didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t ready for, but then she was pushing him into the cushions and climbing into his lap and he decided he was a genius after all.

* * *

Going home with Hunter was probably the stupidest thing she’d ever done. Right up there with divorcing him. And marrying him in the first place. But it was only next door, and by the time they’d started kissing she knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be. 

His arms around her made her feel safe and secure. She could conquer the world as long as she had him to come home to. They weren’t there yet, but maybe someday. She could taste the sweetness of the alcohol they’d had as she brushed her tongue against his and she deepened the kiss, needing more. 

“Hunter,” his name came out as a moan and she sucked in a breath before trying again. “Hunter, we should stop.”

“Stop?” Hunter looked adorably confused. “Yeah. Sure. Too fast?”

He moved back as far as he could with her still on his lap, but as he shifted she unintentionally ground down on him. 

“You’re making this hard, Bob,” he hissed. 

“It isn’t that I don’t _want_ to make it hard, it’s just that I have to work in the morning.”

“Right. I knew that.” Hunter let his head fall back onto the couch and she knew if she didn’t leave now she never would. 

“Daisy and Fitz are never going to let us hear the end of this, you know,” Hunter finally said, not bothering to open his eyes. “Turns out their algorithm works after all.”

“That’s alright,” Bobbi said, leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We’ll just tell them it was love at first click.”


End file.
